Breakdown of هنوز خمیازه نکشیده بودم که مهمان سرزده در زد.
مهمانmehmân
guest
کهke
that (conjunction)
در زدنdar zadan
to knock
هنوزhanuz
yet / still
سرزدهsarzade
unexpectedly / uninvited
خمیازه کشیدنkhamyâze keshidan
to yawn
Questions & Answers about هنوز خمیازه نکشیده بودم که مهمان سرزده در زد.
The English translation is positive ('had hardly yawned'), but the Farsi verb نکشیده بودم is negative. Why is this?
In Farsi, the 'hardly... when' structure literally translates to 'I still had not done X, when Y happened.' You use هنوز (still/yet) with the negative Past Perfect for the first action, followed by که and the Simple Past for the interrupting action.
What verb is used with خمیازه to mean 'to yawn'?
Farsi uses the compound verb خمیازه کشیدن (literally 'to pull a yawn'). Here, it is conjugated in the negative Past Perfect for the first person singular: نکشیده بودم.
How does the word سرزده mean 'uninvited'?
The word سرزده comes from the verb سر زدن, which means to drop by or pay a short visit. As an adjective, it means unexpected or unannounced. Therefore, مهمان سرزده is an unexpected or uninvited guest.
Why is که used here instead of وقتی for 'when'?
In this specific narrative sequence, که acts as a conjunction connecting the two sudden events. It functions like 'when' in the English phrase 'hardly had I done this when...'. You cannot substitute it with وقتی, which is used for standard time clauses.
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